Aquatic hammock
An aquatic hammock supporting a user and adapted to be placed on a surface of water includes a floating open-end body formed by a convex exterior wall and a concaved inner wall. First and second inflatable chambers are provided. The first inflatable chamber configured as a convex-concave shell extending between the convex exterior wall and the concaved inner wall. The second inflatable chamber is a tubular-shaped inflatable rim extending along an outer periphery of the floating body. A resting platform accommodating a user is supported by a top portion of the floating body and includes an ellipse-shaped frame with a fabric segment extending between sides of the frame. The hammock may be used not only on any open water surface, but also on any hard surface supporting a pool.
This application claims priority of Provisional Patent Application No. 61/958,048 filed Jul. 19, 2013, wherein this Provisional Application is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates to recreational devices in general, and in particular it relates to flotation devices adapted for recreational play on water and/or land.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHammocks are well known recreational devices used to relax while swinging. It should be noted however, that the conventional hammocks can not be used independently and require additional items or equipment such as separate supports or spaced from each other trees for their operation.
There are also known floating loungers (examples shown in catalog (http://swimline.com/swimline/ilpflipcat/ilpcat.pdf-page 6), but these loungers in their operation are disposed directly on a surface of water and cannot swing side-to-side, as often desired by a user.
In view of the above, it has been long felt an unsolved need to provide a flotation recreational device, such as an aquatic or floating hammock which can be used on any body of water such as a swimming pool, lake, ocean, etc., so it can be tilted and rocked in any direction from transverse to longitudinal.
Therefore, one main objective of the present invention is to provide a swinging hammock that floats and can be operated on any body of water.
It is another object of the invention to provide a fully integrated, simple to use, easily assembled, reliable water-swung hammock capable of being carried and stored easily, and of being used in a variety of ways for relaxation, and having effective, efficient, and reliable means for the attachment of components and auxiliary equipment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a floating hammock that swings by the natural movement of water.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an aquatic or floating hammock in an affordable, cost-effective form.
It is still further object of the invention to provide an aquatic or floating hammock in an easily dismantled, easily stored and transportable form.
It is a further object of the invention to provide leg supports and a detachable frame for an aquatic or floating hammock which are durable, effective, efficient and may be quickly, easily, and reliably assembled or broken down for storage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect of the invention provides an aquatic or floating hammock consisting of a buoyant open-end inflatable body having semispherical exterior surface having first and second inflatable chambers. The first inflatable chamber is in the form of a convex-concave shell-type body with a draining opening provided at the central portion thereof. The second chamber is an inflatable tubular rim surrounding an exterior of the first chamber. The hammock is formed with a resting platform adapted to accommodate a user and attached to the rim by means of a frame. The aquatic or floating hammock of the invention can be used on any body of water such as a swimming pool, lake, ocean, etc., and may be tilted and rocked in any direction from transverse to longitudinal. The hammock can be easily repositioned relative to sunlight or wind direction. In another application the hammock may also be used on land when placed in a small round pool with a semispherical bottom having a shape and size that are analogous to the buoyant body.
Another aspect of the invention provides the buoyant, semispherical open-end body having a tubular frame including a top substantially circular portion and radial spokes extending therefrom adapted to support an elastic cover.
A further aspect of the invention relates to the floating body placed within a pool having a semi-spherical bottom, wherein the pool is formed as a semi-spherical elastic base having a top circumferential portion.
Referring now to the drawings which are provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, wherein:
For the purposes of clarity several terms which will be revisited later are here defined.
Metacenter is intersection of vertical lines through the center of buoyancy of a floating body when it is at equilibrium and when it is floating at an angle. The location of the metacenter is an indication of the stability of a floating body.
Center of gravity is the point at which the entire weight of a body may be considered as concentrated so that if supported at this point the body would remain in equilibrium in any position.
Referring now to the drawings in general and to
The resting platform 14 provided to support a user and is attached to the top part 15 of the body 12 (the inflatable rim 30) by any conventional arrangement, including clamps 36. As illustrated in at least
To increase the buoyancy of the hammock 10, the floating body 12 is formed with the first and second inflatable chambers. The first inflatable chamber 26 is configured as a convex-concave shell, which extends between the convex exterior wall 16 and the concaved inner wall 18, with the drain tube 28 passing through the central portion thereof. The second inflatable chamber 32 is formed by the inflatable rim 30 configured as a tubular member extending along the outer periphery of the body 12. As illustrated in
The inner wall 18 formed by a top area/surface of the first inflatable chamber 26 has a curvature with radius R2 and depth H2, which varies depending on the position of the user situated within the hammock 10. In this manner, the center of gravity of the user “G” is located as far as possible from the metacenter “M” of the body 12_disposed at the center of the sphere forming the shell of the body 12. The radius R2 is shown for illustrative purposes. When the first chamber 26 is inflated, it extends to the level identified by the curvature having the next radius R2. In this manner, the height H2 defines a surface of downward extension of the hammock under the weight of the person, so that it does not touch the top surface of the concaved inner wall 18, when the first chamber 26 is inflated.
When a user having specific weight is positioned on the resting platform 14, the floating body 12 submerges and a specific load water line “WL” is delineated at its exterior. In the embodiment where the floating body has a semispherical exterior, the load water line “WL” can be in the form of circumference corresponding to the level of displayed water supporting the floating body.
Although an inflatable structure of the body 12 has been discussed above, it should be noted that the body of the aquatic hammock of the invention having other designs is within the scope of the invention. For example, the body can be molded or otherwise made as a hollow structure from a rigid plastic or similar material.
The floating hammock 10, 12, while positioned on water at a level of the load water line “WL”, can be tilted in a multiplicity of directions from transverse to longitudinal. The tilting range/angle of the hammock is limited by a position of the rim 30 with respect to the surface of water.
As illustrated in
As best illustrated in
In a further embodiment of the invention, (as illustrated in
Referring now to
In still another embodiment of the invention, (as illustrated in
If the user supported by the platform of the floating hammock moves out of the center in any direction, the buoyant body tilts. This occurs because the center of gravity has changed its position. In view of the equality of the forces F1 and F2 in the spherical body/version, it is practically not necessary to exert any force for the body to tilt at any angle. This can cause discomfort for the user because he or she will inevitably tilt all the way to the edge and have a hard time getting back to equilibrium. In contrast to the above, when the body having the paraboloidal shape is tilted, an upward force is exerted on the body. Thus, the more the hammock is tilted, the greater the difference between forces F1 and F2 is going to be. That differential will push the body to its original position.
In another embodiment of the invention, (as illustrated in
Various applications of the floating hammock of the invention are illustrated in
Among the essential advantages of the floating hammock of the invention over the prior art is that an operator may place the floating hammock in any area with limited space, without the need for extras such as poles, tress, special frames, etc. The floating hammock can be tilted in any direction from transverse to longitudinal. It is easy to reposition the hammock orientation relative to sunlight, wind direction, etc. The aquatic or floating hammock is affordable and cost-effective to manufacture. It can be easily dismantled, transported and stored. The leg supports and a detachable frame for are resulted in the hammock which is durable, effective efficient and may be quickly, easily, and reliably assembled or broken down for storage.
The geometric configuration of the aquatic hammock is determined by the user's weight. For example, for a user weighing about 250 lbs. (110 kg) the following dimensions are recommended (see
Claims
1. An aquatic hammock supporting a user and adapted to be placed on a surface of water, said hammock comprising:
- a floating open-end body formed by a convex exterior wall and a concaved inner wall;
- said body having first and second inflatable chambers, said first inflatable chamber configured as a convex-concave shell extending between the convex exterior wall and the concaved inner wall with a drain tube passing through a central portion thereof;
- said second inflatable chamber is a tubular-shaped inflatable rim extending along an outer periphery of the floating body;
- said convex exterior wall defined by at least radius and height thereof, said concaved inner wall defined by at least radius and height thereof; and
- an adjustable arrangement for adjusting angular orientation of the floating body relative to the pool;
- wherein said radius and height of the exterior convex wall are substantially equal to radius and height of the floating body, said radius and height of the concaved inner wall concave are determined by a position of the user situated within the hammock, so that the center of gravity of the user is positioned away from the metacenter of the floating body.
2. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, wherein a resting platform accommodating the user is supported by a top portion of the floating body, said resting platform comprising an ellipse-shaped frame, and a mesh or fabric material segment extending within the frame.
3. The aquatic hammock according to claim 2, wherein the resting platform is provided with a head rest adjustable with respect to the frame.
4. The aquatic hammock according to claim 2, wherein to facilitate distribution of the weight of the user and the frame throughout an upper periphery of the floating body, a top circumferential element is provided at an interface between the top portion of the floating body and the frame.
5. The aquatic hammock according to claim 4, further comprising an auxiliary internal frame extending between said top circumferential element and a bottom circumferential element disposed at an entrance to the drain tube, multiplicity of spokes interconnect the top and bottom circumferential elements.
6. The aquatic hammock according to claim 5, wherein an outer periphery of the said top circumferential element is substantially greater than an outer periphery of the bottom circumferential element, so that the auxiliary frame is formed as an inverted umbrella-type cone.
7. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, further comprising a resting platform formed as a rigid molded structure.
8. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, further comprising a resting platform formed as an inflatable structure.
9. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, wherein said floating body is placed within a pool having a semi-spherical base.
10. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, wherein said floating open-end body formed by a tubular frame consisting of an upper circular portion is supported by a plurality of radial spokes, an elastic outer membrane is supported by the spokes and by said upper portion.
11. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, wherein said adjusting arrangement comprises a cable having one end connected to the pool and another free end, said cable passing through the drain tube and engaging at least a portion of the bottom area of the inflated body, the inner area of the drain tube and a portion of the top area of the inflated body, so as to create a tilting leverage controlled by an operator.
12. The aquatic hammock according to claim 1, wherein said hammock is placed inside of a swimming pool, the floating body is secured by a circular float placed on a surface of water and secured to a bottom of a pool, so as to restrict motions of the floating body.
13. An aquatic hammock supporting a user and adapted to be placed on a surface of water, said hammock comprising:
- a floating open-end body formed by a convex exterior wall and a concaved inner wall;
- a convex-concave shell extending between the convex exterior wall and the concaved inner wall with a drain tube passing through a central portion thereof;
- a tubular-shaped rim extending along an outer periphery of the floating body;
- said convex exterior wall defined by at least radius and height thereof, said concaved inner wall defined by at least radius and height thereof; and
- said floating body formed by a tubular frame consisting of an upper circular portion is supported by a plurality of radial spokes, an elastic outer membrane is supported by the spokes and by said upper portion;
- wherein said radius and height of the exterior convex wall are substantially equal to radius and height of the floating body, said radius and height of the concaved inner wall concave are determined by a position of the user situated within the hammock, so that the center of gravity of the user is spaced from the metacenter of the hammock.
14. The aquatic hammock according to claim 13, wherein said body is formed as a segment of a paraboloid having gradually increasing curvature radius along said convex exterior wall, enhancing stability of the hammock on the surface of the water.
15. The aquatic hammock according to claim 13, wherein stability of the hammock is determined by positive distance between the metacenter coinciding with the center of sphere and the center of gravity of the user.
16. The aquatic hammock according to claim 13, wherein said body is formed as a substantially hollow molded structure.
17. The aquatic hammock according to claim 13, further comprising first and second inflatable chambers, said first inflatable chamber configured as a convex-concave shell extending between the convex exterior wall and the concaved inner wall, and said second inflatable chamber is a tubular-shaped inflatable rim extending along an outer periphery of the floating body.
3618940 | November 1971 | Manocherian |
4953849 | September 4, 1990 | Reed |
6709340 | March 23, 2004 | Gordon |
7052344 | May 30, 2006 | Peterson |
20100297900 | November 25, 2010 | Zeyger |
Type: Grant
Filed: Jul 21, 2014
Date of Patent: Dec 29, 2015
Inventors: Eugene Zeyger (Medfield, MA), Lenny Senkovsky (Medfield, MA)
Primary Examiner: Edwin Swinehart
Application Number: 14/336,113
International Classification: B63B 35/76 (20060101); A47C 15/00 (20060101);